I’ve been loving the movies again. After the pandemic, it felt like every release was Marvel, DC, a Disney reboot, or another Fast and Furious. Then things changed. Michael, The Invite, Eternity, and a run of A24 films pulled me back in with real storytelling. But I don’t think I’ll see another movie like Digger for a very long time.

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Digger has divided audiences, and after seeing it, I get why.

Most of us are used to a hero, a bad guy, a horrific event, and a neat ending. Digger gives you none of that. It’s a story within a story, following Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon whose constant drilling and digging has serious consequences for the world around him. There’s a “feel good” moment, but it never turns into a resolution. You’re left sitting in it. Without giving too much away, the curtain quite literally drops on you, the audience.

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Digger pokes fun at the audience, especially the idea of liberal theatrics.

We use art as escapism. We go to a concert, the artist shouts “Free Palestine” before the first song, and we feel like we’ve done something. We bought a ticket, so we funded something good, right?

Maybe not. Most artists are signed to labels that profit from corporate greed and donate to terrible causes and candidates. Our good feelings don’t change where the money goes. This same idea applies to movies, museums, and politics. A lot of our favorite institutions are funded by very wealthy people who can't possibly see the world the same way we do. 

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Digger doesn’t let you forget that you’re part of the problem too. It’s a bold way to start a conversation, and it’s uncomfortable on purpose.

My verdict: It was a brave movie. And I’ll reveal my bias: I love Tom Cruise and will usually like anything he’s in; in Digger, he is absolutely electric, and plays two characters so well. 

I think that’s why it split audiences. People who wanted a villain to point at didn’t get one. People who wanted to be the hero of the story found out they weren’t.

As a strategist, here’s what I take from the discourse: it’s not so fun when the rabbit’s got the gun.

We all like to think of ourselves as good people who support and do good things and this movie pokes fun at that. Some advice: Instead of seeing this as a movie talking down to you, try to see it as a door that opens a conversation about what we might actually be able to do to make the world a better

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